It is in the rural North of Portugal, more specifically near Barcelos, where the fields sprawl and the cocks sing incessantly, that we find Sr. AbÃlio, He is a very talkative man who proudly states he was born on a notable date – the day the UN signed the Human Rights Treaty and abolished slavery formally.
Sr. AbÃlio is a basket maker, a profession that, in his own words, has little future in a world where people do not pay as much attention to the traditional arts and crafts, often reducing a whole culture to figurines and magnets often mass-produced overseas. More than just making baskets, however, he is a master of wickerwork, who makes truly unique pieces from work baskets to accessories and even furniture.Â
While the activity is not what it once was and there are several machines and processes involved in the process, AbÃlio has a good grip on the production of his pieces, since he fully prepares the raw materials for production – a process we were lucky enough to be able to follow and document when we visited him for this interview.
As he walked us through the process of making his wicker baskets and other pieces, we were able to explore the history of basket making, a craft that is sadly connected to the hard work of often unfairly treated agriculture and cattle workers in the perhaps not so far past, but which has turned a new leaf in time, becoming a respected and beloved profession, carried out by the masters of the trade.
Looking forward, we also covered the advantages and challenges associated with continuing a traditional craft that is nowadays seemingly undervalued and in danger of going extinct.
Â
In the process, we found out that aside from the practical baskets, this talented wicker worker has also dabbled in making handbags, which we really liked, so we jumped at the opportunity of further collaborating and releasing a pair of limited edition models together – Amália and AbÃlio, which are available for Summer 2024.
